The Currents of Magic

Chapter Eight

By the time Sarn, Gibb and Meyer reached the gates of Urbana, the sun had set. Two guards armed with silver helms and tall spears flanked the entrance, and as Meyer and his captors approached, a portly man emerged through the gates, stepping past the soldiers.

"Just in time," he said. "I was about to bar the entrance for the night."

Sarn crossed the last few yards between himself and the gatekeeper, Gibb marching at his side. Meyer trailed a few feet behind.

"The toll is three silver pieces a person," said the gatekeeper, rocking on his heels. "Nine silver pieces total."

Sarn reached into a pouch attached to his belt and withdrew a ten-piece coin. He handed it to the gatekeeper, who took it between his thumb and index finger. He closed one eye as he inspected the coin, and then dropped it into his pocket.

"And that's one silver piece change," he said, withdrawing a small silver coin and handing it Sarn. He waved them through and Meyer followed after his captors into Urbana, unsure what to expect. He had only gone a few paces when his uncertainty turned to awe.

Unlike in Vanroc where the buildings were mostly made of wood and were only two or three stories, in Urbana the buildings were made of stone, and towered into the air with five or six levels of windows. The streets were smooth and wide, and bustled with people—some dressed in worn clothes and carrying large packs, others wearing plain shirts and trousers. Children dashed between market stalls, and women and men bartered and traded. Most impressively, they passed two Halflings and several Dwarfs as well as a tall person with pointed ears, and long sharp features. Meyer smiled to himself as he realized that for the third time since leaving Vanroc, he had encountered a new race in the flesh.

Just as he was starting to adjust to the foreign architecture and people, they stopped in front of a square building with a flat roof. The walls were wrought of massive stones slabs, perfectly smooth, and while the windows were surrounded with delicate masonry, they were also caged in thick metal bars. As Meyer followed his captors inside, he found himself in a single expansive room, and yet the space was unlike any he had seen.

In the center of the room was a silver disk, apparently floating in mid air, its edges laden with small vials filled with black and clear liquid. Surrounding the disk was a dark wooden counter, behind which stood three attendants, all dressed in angular black clothing fastened with silver buttons. One attendant was speaking with a plump man dressed in velvet, while the other two stood idly behind the counter, looking severe. The sides of the room were lined with wooden booths, a few of which were occupied by customers, and at the back of the room was a wall of thin metal bars extending from floor to ceiling. Behind the bars were aisles of tall cases, their shelves filled with small gray boxes.

As Sarn crossed towards the counter, his footsteps echoed against the dark marble floor, and Meyer suddenly felt out of place. The room was unnaturally quiet given its abundance of hard surfaces. Where where they?

Sarn reached the counter, and the nearest attendant stepped forward. She was tall and pale, her demeanor one of stark efficiency. "Good evening, sir. How can I be of service?"

"Withdrawal," said Sarn. "The vault identity is Nahd-Tasa-Sarren, Delphi-Ajah-Ez, Sarren-Nahd-Tasa-Ez."

"Very good, sir," said the attendant, turning and taking a vial filled with clear liquid from the silver disk. She stared towards the back of the room, and Meyer watch as she approached the metal bars and withdrew a small key. He hadn't noticed before, but several bars were encased horizontally, forming a portal. The attendant inserted her key into the rightmost cylinder of the portal, and the entrance swung open. At once she closed the bars behind her and disappeared into the rows of shelves.